Wednesday’s Headlines Surf the Blue Wave

We’ll be back with more specific election results tomorrow, but for now let’s ponder the massive impact Tuesday’s election results could have on transportation policy.

• With great power comes great responsibility: A Newsweek writer argues that consequences for hitting someone with a vehicle should be commensurate with the size of the vehicle.
• Cara Stern interviewed writer Henry Grabar about how parking contributes to the high cost of housing. (Missing Middle Initiative)
• At the turn of the 20th century, early electric cars were marketed to women — no cranking, and no noxious fumes (IEEE Spectrum). Maybe this is why pickup-driving manly men haven’t adopted them despite the towing power and built-in beer coolers?
• Homeowners are twice as likely to own an electric vehicle as renters. (Axios)
• Gary Nelson argues that our national shift towards a car-centric transportation system took place decades before the interstate highway system.
• Citymapper is a transit-friendly alternative to Google Maps. (Android Police)
• Traffic deaths fell by 26 percent in Philadelphia last year (Voice). But pedestrian deaths remain high, and so the city is planning to double the number of speed cameras (WHYY).
• California union members are lobbying state officials to regulate autonomous vehicles. (KQED)
• Developing real estate currently serving as parking could be the answer to relieving the Denver Transportation District’s debt. (Denverite)
• Omaha businesses are closing and blaming streetcar construction, despite access to forgivable loans and the promise of increased foot traffic. (Flatwater Free Press)
• The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority has named a new CEO. (Railway Age)
• Metro Magazine interviewed the CEO of the Austin Transit Partnership.
• Knoxville is installing speed cameras in 39 school zones. (WVIT)
• Macon is scaling back its paratransit program for disabled riders. (Telegraph)
• Amtrak’s butter cake is as good a reason as any to ride the rails. (Business Insider)